


Persona S

by Traveller_In_Spacetime



Category: Persona Series, Shenpai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 15:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13126530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traveller_In_Spacetime/pseuds/Traveller_In_Spacetime
Summary: Welcome to Persona S!Persona S is a fanmade installment in the Persona series of games, featuring a protagonist based on Shenpai and a cast of significant characters based on people from the Persona chat in a Discord server.While this IS a fanwork, it is NOT simply substituting characters into a pre-existing story. Everything that we felt could be built from the ground up has been. We have done our best to make this story and world feel as unique and as much like the story for a new game as possible.We hope you enjoy this story!DISCLAIMER:Any characters based on real people are not intended to be perfect representations of those people, and so personality traits will likely differ between the real person and the character. This is for storytelling purposes and is not meant as any for of offense.





	Persona S

**Author's Note:**

> The "we" in the introduction is a small team I collected together on Discord, consisting of:
> 
> \- myself (NeoSpaceRanger)  
> \- Mork  
> \- Sassy  
> \- Tardis  
> \- Runie  
> \- Unarmed  
> \- Picashew  
> \- Mellie  
> \- Kye  
> \- Michba
> 
> Thank you very much to everyone who has contributed to the project so far! I'd never have got this off the ground without you!

For a moment, she entertained the idea that maybe it wasn’t too late to get the pilot to just stop mid flight, turn the plane around, and go all the way back to Germany, so she could just relax in her own bed once again. It was completely unrealistic, of course, but such a fantasy was one of the few things that was keeping her sane at the steadily approaching reality that she’d be staying here for a whole year.

For the past hour or so, all the memories of what had led to this point had slowly been coming back to her, particularly the conversation in which her fate had been decided. It had all been her parents’ idea, spending a year at her mom’s old high school in Japan, and if she were to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t an idea she was looking forward to.

It was true that she would be staying with old family friends and got on well with the daughter of that family, but they were the only people she knew in Osaka at all. She had a bad feeling that learning the layout of the city and making new friends was going to be hard.

The seatbelt light glowed into life and people began to pull their window covers up as the plane began its final descent towards Kansai airport, a little grey strip that sat some way out into the glistening blue of Osaka bay, connected to the mainland by the grey thread of a rail and road bridge. As the plane landed, it finally set in fully that this was it, she was here for the next year now. By the time the pilot’s voice sounded over the intercom to welcome the passengers to Osaka, she had already retrieved her rucksack from under the seat in front of her and just wanted to get out of the cramped, stuffy cabin.

The walk through the terminal wasn’t too long or tedious, but it was bustling constantly with milling crowds, going back and forth and maintaining a constant hubbub, all of which only served to make it harder for her to tell where she was supposed to be going, and exacerbated her headache. After what seemed like forever, she made it past passport control, found her suitcase in bag collection, and reached the refreshingly cool arrivals hall. As she took a deep breath in, she heard a voice calling her name.

“Viro, hey! Over here!” The brightly coloured bangles around the waving arm and shock of deep red hair made Akayo Hidaka stand out like a beacon in the crowd. A smile came to her lips as she remembered the time they had spent together last time Vero’s family were in Japan. She and Akayo had been very good friends in the brief time they had seen each other last, and from the shy smiles they shared, it appeared as if that would be the case for the year she would be staying with Akayo.

“It’s nice to see you again, Akayo,” Vero began, before Akayo caught her in a firm hug, which she returned.

“It’s good to see you too!” Akayo said, still grinning, as the two stepped apart again. The two of them looked each other up and down, and simultaneously said “You’ve grown a lot!” They both burst out laughing, and as they calmed down, Akayo spoke first;

“I’m still taller than you though. No change there.” Viro feigned offense, but couldn’t stop grinning.

“Oh come on, you’ve still got a year’s head start on me.” Whatever tension there had been had dissipated, and they began to make their way out of the airport as Akayo checked her watch.

“Shit, we should probably get moving. We can make the next train over to Osaka if we walk quickly, and the next one after that isn’t for another half an hour.” Viro nodded, and they began to hurry towards the station.

 

\-----

 

The train ride from Kansai to Osaka went smoothly, and although it was yet more travel to go through, it was at least not as cramped and stuffy as the plane had been. Viro’s headache was returning and the urge to fall asleep was creeping up on her. She kept herself awake though, because she thought it would probably be bad manners to fall asleep on the train with someone she hadn’t seen in years. Akayo’s voice cut through her tiredness, causing her to lift her head off her hands.

“So how was the flight?” The question was a formality, but carried a note of genuine concern as Viro rubbed her eyes. “Exhausting, by the looks of it.”

“Yeah, a non-stop flight. Twelve hours of films and Pokémon without sleeping wasn’t smart.”

“It’s fine, it’s getting late here anyway and I can show you around tomorrow. Just try and stay awake until we reach the flat.” The reassurance helped, but Viro’s eyelids kept getting gradually heavier as the last stretch of the journey wore on. The city was beginning to light up as evening set in making the view through the train windows a mix of dark greys interspersed with yellows and whites and the occasional bright neon sign. The scenery blurred together as Viro’s tired eyes struggled to focus, but after a line change, a few more stops, and a short walk, they were standing outside of Akayo’s apartment building. As the automatic doors slid apart, Akayo spotted something on the other side of the lobby and swore.

“Elevators are out. Again. For the third time this month.” Akayo said as they crossed the lobby to the stairs. “You’re going to have to get used to climbing four flights of stairs, I’m afraid.” Viro sighed and shifted her backpack on her shoulders, but as she reached for her suitcase Akayo stopped her.

“I’ll carry that up. You’re too tired for that.” Akayo took the suitcase handle and began to lug it up the stairs as Viro followed behind her. As their footsteps echoed slightly up the stairwell, Akayo turned her head over her shoulder to talk to Viro. “I hope this isn’t going to be too much trouble for you.”

“I should be fine,” Viro replied, although neither of them was completely convinced of that, “A little exercise isn’t going to kill me, after all.”

“I wouldn’t call it a little…” said Akayo, “It’s going up and down four flights of stairs every time you want to go anywhere. The broken lifts have worked out my legs more than any gym I’ve ever been to.” This comment made Viro burst out laughing, her tired state making her laugh far more than she normally would at that. Her laugh was so infectious that it made Akayo start laughing too, to the point where they were both still giggling by the time they reached the fourth floor.

Akayo stopped in front of the first door on the left - its brass nameplate read ‘Hidaka’.

“I hope you like it,” Akayo said tentatively as she rested one hand on the door handle, “The last time you met us was while we were staying at our old place. Well, welcome to your home for the year I guess.”

Almost the instant Akayo opened the door, Viro knew that she was going to like her accommodation for the year. Past the hall the wooden floor gave way to a thick carpet, a row of shoes sat to one side of the hall with coats hanging above them, and the smell of coffee and the buzz of a TV floated gently through from the living room. It may not have been Viro’s home, but it was definitely homely, and she already felt more at ease. Akayo tuned back to Vero and pointed to the shoes;

“Just kick your shoes of their before stepping on the carpet. My mom prefers to keep that carpet as clean as possible.” Viro obliged before following Akayo through into the living room. “Both of my parents work long hours, so unless you can stay awake until the late evening you're not going to see either of them until tomorrow I'm afraid.” Akayo told Viro as she picked up the TV remote from the sofa and turned it off.

“Fine by me, I'm hardly awake enough for long greetings anyway.” said Viro, rubbing her eyes again.

“Well if you're that tired I'll show you to your room now the and I can give you the apartment tour in the morning.” Akayo relied as she grabbed the handle of Viro's suitcase again and strolled off down the other hallway with it.

Viro's room wasn't exactly large, in fact there way not much more space than was needed for a bed, a desk and a wardrobe, but the way it was arranged managed to not make it feel cramped, but cosy.

“Your place is great, Akayo. It's really cosy. I love it.” Viro mumbled to her friend as she collapsed onto her bed, dumping her backpack on the floor as she went.

“Thanks Viro. It's not huge, but we do the best we can to make it ours,” said Akayo, “And don't go falling asleep faceplates and fully clothed there. At least change before you pass out for the night.” Vero sat up slowly, giving an exaggerated sigh.

“You sound like my mother.”

“Oh come on, you know you'd regret sleeping in those clothes in the morning.”

“Yeah, I know, I'm just messing with you.” Viro chuckled exhaustedly. “Thanks a ton for coming to pick me up, Akayo. You didn't have to go that far out of your way just for a foreign student.”

“Not just a foreign student,” Akayo said, smiling gently, “A friend too.” At this, Viro got back up from the bed and walked over to Akayo, giving her a brief hug.

“Thanks so much for being here for me. At least I won't be completely alone this year.” Viro said as they broke the embrace.

“I'll be glad to have you around. Now, I really should be leaving you to change and get some sleep. Rest well!” Akayo left the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Viro dug her pyjamas out of her rucksack and slowly changed into them, glad of their comfortable fit and fabric. As she sank back into the bed and began to drift off, her eyes lingered for a moment on a heavy book that sat on the shelf above the desk, bound in blue leather and stitched with golden thread.

 

\-----

 

Viro awoke to a very strange sensation, a feeling that, though she knew she was awake, she also knew she was somehow still asleep. Was  she dreaming?

The second thing she noticed before opening her eyes was that she was not lying down, as she had been when she went to sleep. She was sitting, apparently once more in her regular clothes, in what felt like a large, soft armchair, upholstered in velvet or something similar. Opening her eyes didn't do much for her, as the room she was in was currently unlit, and so she could not see much at all. By what little light there was though, she could tell that she was right about the armchair and her clothes.

Suddenly, a little way in front of and above her, a ring of flickering lights began to fade into being, revealing themselves as candle flames on an elaborate chandelier. The candlelight grew stronger, pulling back the cloak of darkness that lay across the room.

It seemed to be a study or small library of some kind. The walls were lined with shelves, and the shelves were lined with books, and both shelves and books carried a variety of blue hues. In the middle of each set of shelves there was a division, and the armchair Viro sat in was in one of these central divisions. In the wall directly opposite her there was a panelled door with a very large keyhole beneath its door handle. As seemed to be the theme of this place, the door and armchair were both their own shades of blue too.

Viro let her eyes run up the shelves opposite her, and much to her surprise, they never seemed to end. The walls of books apparently stretched up into infinity, lit at intervals by more chandeliers. She brought her view back down the column of chandeliers to the desk that sat in the centre of the room. The desk was nothing extraordinary, standing out only because it was one of the few things in the room that wasn't blue. Much more striking were the man who sat behind it and the woman who stood next to him.

The man partly reminded her of a spider, with black suit-clad limbs almost skeletally thin and long, spindly fingers wrapped in snow-white gloves and pressed together in an arch in front of his face. His face which was even more unnerving than his body. A comically long, pointed nose protruded from its centre, underlined by a Cheshire cat’s wide grin and topped with a bulging pair of slightly bloodshot eyes. The pale skin that covered his head was ringed with hair as white as his gloves, and this gave an impression of the mysterious man bring of great age.

Viro and the old man stared at each other for a moment that seemed an eternity. Suddenly, the tense silence was broken by a voice, clean and crisp, definitely male but higher pitched as if it belonged to a typical academic.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” it said. It was quite energetic and sounded friendly, and so Viro was rather surprised to realise it was the voice of the old man, his speaking mouth still maintaining its unnerving smile.

“If you are here as a guest, then you are here with a purpose. The room exists in a space of its own, between dream and reality, between mind and matter.” He spoke methodically, clearly enunciating every word. “Only those who have undertaken a contract or are soon to do so may enter as guests. It would seem that such a fate awaits you in the near future.” At this, Viro blinked and shook her head, pulling herself up out of the armchair.

“Contract? What do you mean? Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here?” She barraged the man with questions, glancing around the room nervously, before he held up a hand to interrupt her.

“I have already explained the nature of this place to you, and as is appropriate for the nature of the room you are not truly here physically. Your body sleeps in waking reality, while your mind currently resides here in the Velvet Room. As for who I am, my name is Igor, and I am the master of the room. This here is Michelle; she is an attendant here.”

Viro took the time now to look at the woman. She was taller than him, with darker skin and similarly white hair, although her age was almost impossible to pin down in any way. She wore a blue jacket with gold trim and large gold buttons, and a brooch consisting of a blue stone rimmed with gold and two blue ribbons hanging from it was pinned just below the collar of her shirt. Her eyes were outlined with gold-rimmed glasses, and her smile was much less unnerving than Igor’s.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” Michelle said, “I will be providing assistance to you and my master when you are present in the Velvet Room. I hope that we can get along well for as long as you are making use of this place.”

"Now that you know our names, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself?” Igor asked Viro.

“My name's Viro,” she replied absent-mindedly, “But what is this place for? Why is it a library? And what did you mean by a contract?”

“The shape of the Velvet Room reflects the state of mind of its guests,” Igor told her, making an arbitrary gesture with one hand, “What exactly this means for you shall be revealed in time. Now, if you have no further questions you are perfectly at liberty to take a seat again and return to reality.” Viro pressed a hand to her forehead - none of this was making any sense. She lowered herself back into the armchair, and almost immediately began to feel the Velvet Room slipping away and her familiar reality returning.


End file.
